Study Released Tuesday Cites Technology as a Factor in Teen Sleep Loss
WASHINGTON, March 28- A new study released Tuesday cited technology and caffeine as significant contributors to inadequate adolescent sleep.
The National Sleep Foundation, an organization that compiles data annually on sleep patterns in America, found that only about 20 percent of adolescents ages 11-17 are getting “optimal sleep” each night. According to the foundation, adolescents need nine hours in order to function at their full potential during the day.
The study, the 2006 Sleep in America Poll, shows a steady decrease in the hours of sleep teenagers get as they progress through middle school into high school. Of the 1,602 adolescents surveyed nationwide, sixth graders on average receive 8.4 hours per night, whereas twelfth graders receive only 6.9.
Differences between genders were minimal, with girls getting about 7.5 hours of sleep and boys receiving roughly 12 minutes more, at 7.7 hours.
The study found that three out of four teenagers drink a caffeinated beverage daily and that 31 percent drink two or more.
Jodi Mindell, an associate professor of psychology at Saint Joseph’s University and co-chairwoman of the task force that oversaw the study, said that children who drank caffeinated beverages were twice as likely as their peers to fall asleep at school.
“Parents are mostly in the dark about their adolescents’ sleeping habits,” Ms. Mindell said. “Ninety percent of parents believe that their children are getting enough sleep in contrast to 44 percent of adolescents who think they are. So the adolescents are much more aware of this issue than the parents.”
The 25-minute telephone survey was conducted in two parts, with both adolescents and parents being questioned.
More than 97 percent of adolescents have at least one technological item – a computer, television or phone – in their bedroom, the study found. Students with four or more items were likely to get a half hour less sleep on average.
Dr. Mary A. Carskadon, a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Brown Medical School, said that parents should limit their children’s caffeine intake after lunch to as little as possible.
“Children who are taking caffeine, who are stopping at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts after school, are going to have that much more trouble falling to sleep at night,” Dr. Carskadon said.
The consequences of insufficient sleep are not limited to poor grades.
“Those who get insufficient sleep were also more likely to score higher on a scale of depressed mood,” Dr. Carskadon said. “Adolescents are nearly twice as likely to score high [on the depression scale] if they are sleeping eight hours or less.”
Parents should look for warning signs of insufficient sleep, such as adolescents who need caffeine to wake up in the morning or those who nap for 45 minutes or longer on a recurring basis, she said.
“Parents should make sleep a positive priority for the entire family,” Dr. Carskadon said. “Kids spend too much time multitasking in their rooms the hour before they go to bed. The more things they are doing, the less sleep they are getting.”
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